Thursday, December 28, 2006
It's been awhile since I've done any collages, so here's one, just for the festive season.
The four of us finally managed to meet up for dinner tonight, and it was at Cuba Libre, a new joint at Clarke Quay. Food was pretty good, although we were terribly stuffed after, and the company was excellent. Our plan of a night at Zouk went up in smoke (how predictable), thanks to the weather and the ridiculous crowd. Seriously. Now I remember why I don't go there anymore. Perhaps the most fun we had in the short time we were there tonight was when we were leaving.
Nevertheless, it was fun while it lasted. I miss us :(
Classic Boo: [Hands Cel her umbrella back, after having used it] Sorry, it's wet.
(We still love you, Boo. Hehe.)
Monday, December 25, 2006
Drunkity Drunk #1: Where are the antlers??!
Drunkity Drunk #2: They're not antlers, they're fucking antelopes!
(And no, neither is me.)
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Saturday, December 23, 2006
"They had never used the word 'love'. They avoided it as some people avoided red meat and refined sugar, and for the same reason, that abstaining from the word would make them healthier and stronger. They believed in love but hated the word, and loathed the moth-eaten expression I love you, which had been diminished and become so meaningless it had been reduced to a casual salutation. 'I love you,' people said at the end of a casual phone call. It had taken the place of 'See you later' and 'Have a nice day.'"
- Blinding Light, Paul Theroux
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Friday, December 22, 2006
I spent the whole of today trying to sleep off the worst hangover in the history of all hangovers. The queasiness only went away at around 7pm, although the headache decided to stick around. Sigh. I never do learn. (Thanks again, sweetie).
I probably say this every year, but I can't believe that Christmas is a mere 3 days away! It feels like I've been speeding along the calendar and since quitting my job, I've skidded to a halt and have finally had the time to actually realise that it's almost the end of yet another year.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
This is what I've been busying myself with of late, among other things of course. I've always wanted to try my hand and making my own jewelry, and I've finally managed to find the time to do so. It's time-consuming, but if there's one thing I've learnt about myself, it's that I usually enjoy doing the most quasi-mundane, menial tasks. So really, it works out - it kills time, gives me something to do, and the result is a new accessory. :)
Was out with Celly today and we were talking about the local vernacular that is Singlish. Earlier in the day, she was ordering tea and a muffin, and the lady serving her asked, "You want to make hot, the muffin?"
She asked me what I would understand from that sentence, and I said, without missing a beat, "She's asking if you want to heat up the muffin la."
It came as a surprise to her, since she initally had no idea what this woman was saying to her.
Such poorly constructed sentences seem to be a characteristic of the typical Singaporean speech, as I related another incident to her.
My sup and I were unpacking stock, when I found a bag that had a note stuck on it saying, "Damage the screw". I burst out laughing and showed it to my sup, who was both bewildered and amused. (For those who don't get it, the person meant to say "The screw is damaged".)
The only explanation I can come up for such statements is that the subject comes as an afterthought. That is, the person initially wanted to leave a note that the bag is damaged, hence "Damage... ". Then they decided that it might be best to be more specific, so in comes "... the screw". Hilarious and unfortunate, but true.
Thus the conclusion is that only Singaporeans really understand Singaporeans. Decades from now, we will be a peculiar civilisation studied by anthropologists, with books of in-depth research and theories about our very own native language.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Been meaning to catch this version of Alice in Wonderland since I last saw it on cable a couple of years ago. I didn't manage to watch it properly, seeing as I was hungover and trying keep my lunch down (some things never change).
Saw the VCD whilst out shopping yesterday, so I decided to just buy it once and for all. It was a bargain at $8.90 and worth every cent. With my love of all things whimsical, I enjoyed every minute of it. The visuals are awesome (all that colour!), and I took pure delight in the nonsensical elements of it.
However, I did find the ending to be sort of a cop-out. It was terribly anti-climactic, but I suppose it was fun while it lasted. Now I'm even more determined to read the book, which has been sitting on my shelf for the longest time, just for the details that might've been lost along the way.
But in the context of the great debate that is the comparison between film and books (a topic for another day), I think that when it comes to such fantastical stories, nothing beats the splendour of moving images that film provides.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
So. Fucking. Tired.
I approached something pretty close to the end of my tether tonight. At one point, the shop was crowded with people, and they were milling around grabbing and misplacing bags and messing up the displays.
I saw a woman helping herself to the wallet showcase, making a complete mess of everything. I tried to keep the irritation out of my voice when I walked over to her and said, "Can I help you with that?", which really was more of a statement than a question.
Meanwhile another customer was trying to get my attention, and I shuttled between them for awhile. It started from there, when as I tried to accommodate to this woman's wanting to see every-single-fucking-thing, her two obnoxious grandchildren were fighting with each other, the boy shouting threats at his younger sister. I stood there amidst the chaos and envisioned a parallel universe where I would implode and yell, "SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU BRATS".
But this version of me could only stand there resisting tears borne of absolute stress, and praying that my resilience would not succumb and shatter.
Friday, December 08, 2006
So it's official: next Friday marks the last day of my full-time job. And it's about time too. I've been toying with the idea for quite awhile; broke the news to my colleagues and management last month; submitted my resignation letter last week.
Right now I'm really looking forward to that, since lately there are far too many days when I get to work feeling like I just want to yell at everyone. Yes, the hours are long, and you have to work weekends. But sometimes I think it's not just that that drives me crazy - no, I have a feeling it's just the awful mix of people that walk through the doors each day.
Mostly I get really fed up with the way people treat the merchandise, as though they cost $5 and not $500. They grab the bags, handle them roughly, yank out the price tags to check them, then shove them onto the shelves - without zipping them back (if they have a zip) - sometimes even using their feet when it's on the bottom shelf. And these are the same fucking assholes who refuse to buy the display pieces because "they've been touched too many times". SERIOUSLY.
Also, these:
Customer: [points in a vague direction] "Show me the green one."
You: [Turn and see about five green bags] "Uh sorry, which one?"
Customer: [Impatiently] "The green one la!"
Jesus.
Ok there are probably about a dozen more examples but that's all I've got for now.
I could probaby publish a book.
Monday, December 04, 2006
I've been lazy about updating this space, I know, and my flickr account probably sees more action than this blog does.
Life's been pretty much the same ol' same ol', although I'm in for changes again. I'm looking forward to it. God knows I've been stuck in the same rut long enough. Right now I've got a serious case of wanderlust, and I'm just dying for a little getaway.
Christmas is coming up, and I'm looking forward to that, since I'll get to spend it with three of my four girlfriends who have been held captive by foreign lands. We'll be missing one, but I'll take what I can get. Heh.
So life as a 21-year-old pretty much feels the same, and unlike many around my age, I've yet to grasp the sense of feeling old. But funny enough, this happened just a few days after my birthday: I was at work, and there was a little kid playing in the shop. I was giggling at her antics, when her mother came over, slightly apologetic, and started to direct her out, gesturing at me saying, "See la, auntie is laughing at you".
I raised an eyebrow and turned to my colleague, "Oh man, I'm an auntie already?"